Love is a Given
by Ms. Videl Son
Summary: Part of the "Lifelong Love" series. TwoShot. Flinging the baby blue teddy bear out in front of him with both hands, the blushing boy stammered, “H-Hello, Hinata-san. M-My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Happy B-B-Birthday." Mild/one-sided SasuHina.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Love is a Given**  
Disclaimer:** Do you remember Sasuke and Hinata interacting in the series? Me 'neither.**  
Rating:** G ( K ) – as long as you ignore the bleeped out word immediately below the summary, that is. I hope the kiddies in the house don't know how to fill in the blanks.**  
Spoilers:** None that I didn't create myself.

**Summary:** TwoShot. Mild/one-sided SasuHina.

Now you get to find out what the f!#ing teddy bear thing is all about...(See previous works: "Sexy no Jutsu" and "Birthday Wishes")

Though I had this planned out long, long, LONG before I'd even started the group, this has turned out to be a contest entry for DateMe. (December – Birthday.)

--- --- ---

"NO!" Sasuke shouted, tugging hard against the grip his mother had on his arm. "I don't want to go to some stupid girl's birthday party!"

With a sharp tug of her own, his mother brought her youngest son back in line. It was obvious that no matter how much patience she reserved for her children, she was getting a little tired of a certain, single-syllabled word. Sasuke hadn't stopped saying it since he had been able to talk, after all. "I know, Sasuke-kun, but this is important for the family. Won't you be good and be nice to Daddy's friends? I'm sure he'll be very proud of you..."

There they were; the magic words. As if independent of even his own willful nature, Sasuke puffed out his chest and stood up straight, the picture of the perfect little gentleman.

Itachi – ever the perfect eldest brother – rolled his eyes at the youngest Uchiha's sudden attitude change, but said nothing out of turn. _He_, as Sasuke was constantly reminded, knew how to behave properly in public.

Well, Sasuke wasn't going to take the bait! No matter how much he wanted to stick his tongue out at his super-mean older brother, it would have to wait until they got home later that afternoon. Then, of course, he would let the stupidhead have it! In the meantime, Sasuke would be on his best behavior – no, he would be on _Itachi's_ best behavior and show him that he could do it, too.

The patriarch of the family led the group, as every good clan leader should, through the vacant streets of Konoha toward...wherever it was they were going. Sasuke was kind of sketchy on the details, but he knew that they were missing an even bigger celebration – one for the _whole village_, not only some stuffy little princess – just to go to a birthday party for his father's friend's daughter.

They must have been very important friends for his father to insist upon going at all because even Sasuke knew how much the head of the Uchiha clan _hated_ "playing politics" (whatever that was). In fact, if there had been a stronger word than "hate" to describe his father's dislike for the activity, Sasuke probably would have used that one instead.

Yeah, this man (oh, and his daughter, too) who they were going to see must have been one of his father's best friends. That was the only explanation for skipping the village party, which Sasuke vaguely understood to be something of a big deal.

Then again, considering how Sasuke had never seen the two men doing adult stuff together, he figured they couldn't have been _that _good of friends; must've been one of those weird friendships that his mother insisted he would understand better when he grew up. Adults were so weird and confusing when it came to playing together! Sasuke was beginning to lose faith in all that stuff his mother and the nanny were teaching him about "playing nicely" and "sharing." If it didn't work for grown ups, why would it work for him?

"What are you going to say to Hinata-chan when you meet her, Sasuke-kun?" his mother asked for, like, the_ millionth _time!

"'Hello, Hinata-san. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Happy Birthday,'" Sasuke repeated in a monotonous voice. No matter how special this friend was supposed to be and how important his job was, he couldn't help but feel that this was going to be a long, _boring_ night. What were girls good for, anyway? To three-year-old Sasuke – and every other young male in his acquaintance – girls were officially "icky" and "stupid."

"Good," his mother approved, bending slightly to hand him a baby blue teddy bear with a shiny silk ribbon tied around its neck. "Don't forget to give her this, too."

Sasuke received the gift by grasping one of its paws. He then dropped it down by his side, barely keeping it hovering above the ground. If any of his friends saw him with such a girly-looking toy he'd never be able to convince them he was cool again (which was imperative when using the patented Uchiha glare against the people who annoyed him)!

"Don't drag it on the ground, Sasuke-kun!" the Uchiha matriarch scolded, prompting her youngest to hold the bear (a little) higher. It was a little too late, though; the tips of the bear's feet were already dusty from the debris on the sidewalk. "Oh, Sasuke-kun..."

Luckily for Sasuke, his mother's speech was cut to the quick when his father announced, "We're here."

The three tagalong members of the party raised their heads simultaneously to view the large, traditionally-styled mansion that rose only a little higher than the stone wall that they were standing beside. Immediately up ahead and to their left was an ornate iron-wrought gate that looked anything but welcoming even though it was flung wide open for visitors. Maybe it was because it was decorated with spikes at the top, perhaps the bars simply implied a prison setting, but Sasuke figured that the two white-eyed armed guards outside were what primarily contributed to this feeling.

"Uchiha Fugaku and family," his father announced to the guards, indicating the three waiting behind him. Sasuke, who had been just about to duck behind the skirt of his mother's kimono, straightened his back in honor of Fugaku's introduction.

The guards said nothing, but one nodded. Taking this as a positive signal, Fugaku proceeded through the gates, clearly expecting his family to follow behind.

Sasuke, taking his silent orders to heart, took the lead for his mother and brother as he followed his father's footsteps through the gate and into the courtyard. He peeked up at the guards as he passed them, still slightly frightened of their pupil-less eyes, but emboldened by Fugaku's effortless confidence. Besides, he reasoned to himself as they approached the house, who would dare strike against an Uchiha? Everybody knew they were the strongest shinobi in the village!

Once they'd cleared the entrance, Sasuke was struck by...nothing. The yard encased within the outer walls was the perfect example of a zen garden and, even though there was supposed to be a child's birthday party within, there was a distinct lack of decorations. A few paper lanterns with yellow flames and orange rings were strung up along the edges of the porch, but that was pretty much it. Oh, and the bridge over the koi pond was lit, but that was all. Remembering his last birthday, – filled to bursting with streamers and balloons and games and cake and presents – Sasuke actually felt a little sorry for the kid he was visiting (even if she was a girl).

As they climbed the few steps up to the wrap around porch, warmly glowing from the light the lanterns gave off, the shoji screen magically opened before them (well, a servant from inside had opened it, but Sasuke didn't notice until later). "Come in, please," a soft voice requested.

"Welcome to our home," a deeper voice greeted as they respectfully removed their shoes in the foyer. When Sasuke looked up, he saw another man just like the two out front, only scarier. His eyes were milky white and hard, kind of like moonstones, and his smile looked fake as he bowed to his father. He reminded the youngest Uchiha of an ice sculpture.

Nevertheless, Fugaku returned the bow and introduced his family one-by-one, ending with Sasuke. "And this is Sasuke, my youngest."

The ice-man bowed to each Uchiha in turn, bestowing them all with the same unconvincing smile. "Welcome."

Just as he was taught, Sasuke bowed right back, though much deeper than the ice-man. "I'm honored to meet you," he mumbled, just like rehearsed.

"And this," the ice-man announced, stepping a little to his left. "Is my daughter, Hinata."

From behind the ice-man's leg, a round little face appeared. It was pale white and full, just like the moon that was currently hovering over the house, and framed by the midnight darkness of her hair. Just below the perfectly trimmed bangs, a pair of eyes like the ice-man's watched him through the thickest lashes he'd ever seen. They weren't scary at all, though, not like the stern man that had greeted his family at the door. Instead of hard and cold, they were soft and melty, kind of like a vanilla ice cream cone in the middle of July.

"Sasuke-kun," his mother called, nudging him lightly with her hand. "Give Hinata-chan your gift."

Startled, the boy jumped. He'd been staring so intently at the little face that he'd completely forgotten his rehearsed manners. Flinging the baby blue teddy bear out in front of him with both hands, the blushing boy stammered, "H-Hello, Hinata-san. M-My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Happy B-B-Birthday

"Thank you," she said quietly, accepting the bear with lightly trembling hands and clutching it to her chest. From up above, her father frowned disapprovingly.

"Hinata," the ice-man said, calling the girl's attention to himself. Why don't you take your...toy to your room and take young Sasuke-kun with you." What he said should have been a question, but didn't really sound like it.

"W-Would you like to go p-p-play?" Hinata suggested as prompted, twiddling her fingers shyly. When she tentatively turned her moon-like orbs toward him, Sasuke felt his little face begin to burn.

"S-Sure."

—

**Author's Notes: **I think I originally intended this to be longer, but...eh. I'm feeling exceptionally lazy this month. I think it's because I've been so busy with the end of my semester and the holidays that I want to slow down a bit. Thus, effort isn't my strong suit right now...I'll try harder another time, promise. In fact, I might even extend this story later by adding a second part in Hinata's POV (ie, the details that are vaguely described in "Stuck on You").

Anyway...this fic is also dedicated to juliagulia1017, who inspired this entire series. Haven't spoken to her in awhile, but she's a real sweetie and a funny fic writer **n.n** Happy Holidays, Jules!

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Love is a Given  
**Disclaimer:** Do you remember Sasuke and Hinata interacting in the series? Me 'neither.  
**Rating:** G ( K ) – as long as you ignore the bleeped out word immediately below the summary, that is. I hope the kiddies in the house don't know how to fill in the blanks.  
**Spoilers:** None that I didn't create myself.

**Summary:** Part of the "Lifelong Love" series. TwoShot. Flinging the baby blue teddy bear out in front of him with both hands, the blushing boy stammered, "H-Hello, Hinata-san. M-My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Happy B-B-Birthday." Mild/one-sided SasuHina.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack...at least for this ^^;

--- --- ---

Though Sasuke would never admit it to anyone, he was excited. Thrilled, even, about getting to see the Hyuuga heiress again now that his father had business with her father again. Not that he made a habit of wanting to visit girls; oh no, far from it. Hinata was simply a special case.

"Is it time to go yet?" he asked his mother for the umpteenth time since noon. It was now four-thirty and she was beginning to show signs of strain.

"No, Sasuke-kun," she replied with forced patience. Though her lips were pursed, she managed to take a sip of her oolong tea before continuing, "We won't be going to the Hyuuga compound until dinner time. That's an hour and a half from now. Please stop asking."

"Sorry," the youngest Uchiha muttered, wandering over to their sitting room window to look out upon the delightfully sunshiney day. He heaved a great, frustrated sigh and wished earnestly that he could tell time already (_Itachi_ had learned when _he _was three, but Sasuke hadn't gotten the hang of it quite yet; it was a "work in progress," as his mother would say).

His eyes were unfocused on the blissful weather as Sasuke allowed his mind to wander back to the Hyuuga heiress' third birthday party. While the adults had sequestered themselves inside a large room full of gross snacks and hateful sneers, he and Hinata had ventured into the depths of the house to play.

They'd wandered silently into her bedroom to put her new teddy bear away, – "F-Father doesn't ap-prove of toys," she had explained with a soft pink blush upon her pale cheeks. "H-He says that they don't p-promote focus." – bashfully avoiding each other's eyes. Had her elder cousin Neji not appeared shortly thereafter to lighten the mood, the shy pair might not have spoken a single word to each other for the rest of the evening. With a third playmate available, however, some of the tension was lost and fun was had by all (though, admittedly, Sasuke would have preferred that Neji had left after awhile; it was hard to keep Hinata's wandering attention all to himself with another person in the room).

This next encounter between the two clans promised to be even better than before, in Sasuke's opinion. Though he didn't quite understand the particulars of the matter, he did know that Neji wouldn't be around this time and that he'd have Hinata all to himself. His father and brother had both tried to explain what the whole business had been about, but all that stuff about "Main Families" and "Branch Families" made Sasuke's head hurt. All he knew for sure was that it all sounded really stupid and pointless and, when he'd said so, Fugaku and Itachi had both smiled knowingly to one another. In the end, however, both of the elder Uchiha males had been satisfied with Sasuke's promise not to mention anything about Neji's new "situation" (as it had been so politely put by his father) to any of the Hyuuga's. Since none of it made any sense to him and he didn't really care in the first place, it was an easy promise for Sasuke to make.

Well, whatever was going on within the Hyuuga family, it didn't ultimately matter. All that Sasuke cared about was getting to see Hinata again.

"Mama, is it time to leave yet?"

---

One long hour after being ejected from his mother's sitting room, the Uchiha family was finally ready to make an appearance at the Hyuuga family compound. Sasuke had practically skipped all the way there – "Hurry _up_, 'Nii-san! We're going to be late!" – and they made it to the heavy iron gates a little earlier than expected. Stopping dead before the stern guards that had greeted them the last time, they were all informed that the Hyuugas were not yet prepared to receive visitors and that they were to proceed directly to the foyer where they would be met by a servant.

Sasuke released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when they were finally within the gates and away from the guards. Those guys really needed to smile once in awhile. Or maybe they'd been making that face so long that they couldn't anymore (his grandmother had once warned him that such things could happen).

Either way, the obstacle had been bypassed with little to no difficulty and he was one step closer to seeing his new playmate. Only one remained before them, and this one seemed a little nicer than the first.

"Welcome, Fugaku-sama, to the house of Hyuuga," a pretty lady in the foyer greeted, bowing deeply in respect. The second servant in attendance, who had opened the shoji screen for them as they approached, now closed it behind them and quietly retreated into the depths of the house. "My name is Yoko. Please, allow me to show you to the drawing room."

"Thank you, Yoko-san," replied Fugaku, making a shallower bow in return. Yoko didn't seem offended, however, and immediately turned to walk down the adjoining hallway.

The Uchihas followed sedately behind her, winding through the darkened house in a serpentine motion without saying a single word. Sasuke could tell that, despite his own excitement, this was one of those occasions that required absolute obedience and silence. Thus, he tried his very best – he honestly did! – to hold his tongue, but he simply couldn't help himself. Before Yoko left them alone in the promised drawing room, he burst, "Is Hinata-chan coming out soon?"

"_Sasuke_!" His mother hissed in admonition, nudging him hard with her elbow. Fugaku didn't feel the need to verbally reprimand him, but instead fixed him with a stern, disapproving glare. Sasuke gulped and turned his eyes back to Yoko.

Yoko, – who he now distinguished as a Hyuuga family member herself; the milky-white eyes gave her away – unlike his parents, didn't seem offended. Raising herself a little out of her deep bow, her lips forming a mild smile, Yoko replied, "Hiashi-sama and Hinata-sama will be here directly, young master." She then bowed herself out of the room, closing the screen behind her.

As soon as the door clacked against its frame, Sasuke got an earful of remonstrances. "Uchiha Sasuke!" his mother began, turning to face him with her hands upon her hips. "I have _never_ been so embarrassed! How _dare_ you ask such a rude question? Why, if we were at home, I'd – "

Before Mikoto could fully form her threat, however, the door rattled and began to slide open. The Uchiha matriarch returned to her docile position next to her husband in an instant and forced a passable smile onto her face just in time; Hyuuga Hiashi and his daughter Hinata stepped into the room, prepared to meet their guests.

"Welcome," Hiashi said, bowing slightly to them all, Hinata following in his stead. The entire Uchiha family returned in kind and the civilities commenced.

"How are you and your family, Fugaku-san?"

"Very well, thank you. And yours? How is little Hanabi-chan doing?"

"She's quite well, thank you. Her mother apologizes for not being here, but the doctor recommends bed rest."

"Of course. Give her our best."

"I shall."

While the adults pretended to care about one another, Sasuke sneaked a look at Hinata. To his surprise and pleasure, he caught her eyes on him, as well. She quickly lowered her gaze once she had his attention, but the meek smile on her face told him that she was as equally pleased as he was to be found worth looking at.

Standing up a little straighter, Sasuke waited patiently for someone to say "go play outside."

---

Sasuke awoke with a start. Someone – or some_thing_ – was rattling at the window.

The young Uchiha's first instinct was to bury his head beneath the covers and pretend that he hadn't heard anything. However, the slumbering bundle beside him – an adorable Hyuuga heiress wrapped cozily around her new teddy bear – made him think better of his cowardice.

Sasuke didn't know how or when it had happened, but he and his playmate had worn themselves out while the adults were still schmoozing each other in another part of the house. Yoko – who, amongst other things, was Hinata's nanny – was assigned to watch over them while they enjoyed each other's company, but they were given free reign of Hinata's large, if plain, bedroom. The two youngsters had proceeded to chase each other around, tickle one another, play tea party with her blue bear (that part Sasuke had willingly, if resignedly, put up with), and generally have fun the way children are supposed to. Sometime in the middle of a sleepy conversation about whether older brothers or little sisters were more stinky and annoying, they must have drifted off together.

Carefully extricating himself from the blanket that had been thoughtfully placed over them where they lay in the middle of Hinata's bedroom floor, Sasuke managed to leave the side of his host without waking her up. Before forcing himself to go investigate the strange noises, he even paused to rearrange the sheet so that she was completely covered in his absence. That was the nice thing to do, or so his mother said.

In his bare feet, Sasuke tip-toed over to the window, ducking low when he realized that whoever was out there could probably see him. He'd do his best to sneak up on them – yeah, that was the way. Very quiet-like...

Sasuke lowered himself to all-fours and crept up to the window as silently as he could. A creaking board nearly gave him away, but as the noises outside continued without pause, he figured that the culprit hadn't noticed.

Flattening himself against the wall, Sasuke slowly raised himself to his feet so that he could see outside. He took a peek and...

...sighed with relief. It was nothing but an old tree creaking in the wind. He felt a little stupid being scared by something so utterly non-scary, but he was glad that there was no real foe outside for him to confront. He would've had to have been brave for Hinata's sake and he really didn't want to. Not with his father and brother so far away.

Turning his face back to – WHAM!

Sasuke fell limply to the floor, his body colliding with the tatami with a heavy thud. Fireworks were popping behind his eyes and his brain was sloshing around inside his head, but he was still conscious. Somewhere in the background, he heard a scream – Hinata!

He tried to force himself up, but could only make it onto his elbows after a lot of strain. In the meantime, his playmates' struggles had been silenced in a lot of muffled movement.

When Sasuke peeled his eyelids apart, he witnessed a masked man lifting Hinata off the floor and whisking her away under his arm. This transaction only lasted a couple of seconds; by the time that the young Uchiha screamed for his father, the pair had disappeared.

---

"Allow me to call the family doctor for your son, Fugaku-san," Hiashi implored blandly, glaring down at the shivering boy being coddled by his mother on the floor.

Sneering, Fugaku replied, "No, thank you, Hiashi-san. We will seek our own medical help."

"It is...the least I can do," the Hyuuga head pressed sourly. "After all, the culprit might have gotten away had your son not raised the alarm when he did."

"True," Fugaku agreed. "However, if your physician is as...lacking as your security, I think we're better off with our own." There was a lot of silent glaring between the two men following this statement, but neither ventured to say anything else to the other.

In the meantime, Sasuke remained curled up in his mother's lap while she attempted to staunch his bleeding with the sleeve of her best kimono. The cut on his head wasn't as serious as it looked, he was informed, but it sure hurt a lot and the young Uchiha couldn't help but quiver as the adrenaline rushed throughout his small body.

Hinata, still a bit woozy from the drugs that had been used to subdue her, sat across the room in much the same condition. She was in Yoko's care and being tenderly stroked by her beloved nanny. Every so often, Sasuke caught her gaze from the corner of his eye, but pointedly refused to acknowledge her attention with a look of his own. It was the bad guy's fault, not hers, and he knew it, but he still didn't think he'd be paying her any visits in the near future.

"S-Sasuke-san," he heard her voice squeak.

Deigning to look up between his mother's arms, Sasuke fixed her with the stern glare he'd inherited from his father. "What?"

The young heiress, teetering unsteadily before him with Yoko behind her, seemed to loose some of her nerve at the tone of his response. "Um...uh...th-thank you. F-For what you d-d-did."

"Hmph," Sasuke replied, turning his face away.

Hinata remained where she was for a few extended seconds before Yoko said, "Come, Hinata-sama. Back to bed."

Once her shadow had abated and the door to the room had been both open and shut, Sasuke allowed his gaze to wander back to where she'd been standing. The only thing that remained of her presence was a tiny puddle of tears.

--- --- ---

**Author's Note: **Well, I know that in my last chapter I said that I'd make this one in Hinata's POV, but I figured it might be better to move the plot forward rather than simply going over the same stuff that had already happened. Besides, I recalled that attempted kidnapping from the manga and figured I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to involve Sasuke in it somehow. I know it's usually part of the NejiHina mythology, but I needed something...dramatic to make Hinata dislike Sasuke after having them get along so well in the previous chapter.

I did my best to keep the details of the kidnapping within the scope of what actually happened (ie, it occurs _after_ Hinata's birthday party, it's at night while she's asleep, etc.), but if I've made a mistake or two I'm deeply sorry. Just point it/them out to me and I'll 1 ) fix it or 2 ) make some lame excuse about how I totally meant to do that all along, lolz.

Btw, this story is OVER. Might still continue the Lifelong Love series (ie, I hope to finish "Sexy no Jutsu" finally) with a few more stories, but we'll see. I'm thinking the next one will be from Hina's POV.

Un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


End file.
